I’ve always this fascinating — why do we give words so much power over us? Why do we feel some words are emotionally charged, or embarrassing, or even taboo? Words, really, are meant to communicate, and yet we let them have the power to hurt us, to anger us, to hurt others.

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I posted recently inviting copywriters to share some of their best tips. So far, I’ve gotten no responses, but, hey, never give up.

Another question for you copywriters — what are some easy bonuses you can offer in ad copy to sell a product, besides useful features and a good sale price?

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Whether you’re writing about custom wheel covers, collectible silver spoons, or patio furniture covers, what is your best tip for those who find themselves needing to do their own copywriting?

I ask this for a number of reasons. For one thing, we can all learn from each other. For another thing, I often find myself working on an affiliate marketing website and needing to do my own copywriting. I’ll be I’m not alone on that.

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My answer to the question I posed for fiction writers reading this: For me, characters always come before plots.

I’ve got very successful writer friends who see this a bit differently than I. But I always have some oddballed (usually) character pop into my head, either when I’m talking to someone or observing people in public, and I go from there. I general ask myself something like, “How would this guy react” or “What would this guy do” if … and then away I go.

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A question for all you fiction writers out there: Which comes first in your writing process, characters or plot?

I’ve got remnants of five novels buried under the dust somewhere in this messy old hard drive of mine, and I’ve not yet finished one. I was inspired by an episode of the “Today Show” today and determined to pull these little gems out of storage in hopes of finding a jewel among them that will rocket me to fame and fortune as the newest John Grisham.

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Writers should always be readers — so what are you reading right now? (Besides this post, I mean.)

I usually have at least one non-fiction book and one novel that I’m reading at any given time. (I won’t tell you where I do much of my daily reading. I think you can figure it out just from that remark. HINT: I read there a lot of an early morning.)

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Yeah, I know. The title of this post is sort of silly — because there is no such thing as a barcode scanner for spell checking software. I’m not even sure what such a thing would look like or how you would use it. But it expresses something inherently weak or faulty about spell checkers: They can detect misspelled words, but they have no way of detecting “wrong” word usage. (Grammar checkers get into that a little bit, but I don’t use them enough to be sure about how they work.)

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Here, enjoy an interview with one of my favorite authors, Lawrence Block. I discovered this on YouTube:

If you’ve not read any of Block’s books, I highly recommend them all. The hit man series he speaks of in the interview above is one of his best, but he also has a series about a bookstore owner who’s a highly successful burglar, and a series about an alcoholic ex-cop.

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Many, MANY (too many) years ago, I had an “advanced English” course in my senior year of high school. I put quotes around “advanced English” because that was the formal name of the course — it wasn’t just a regular English class, an English composition course, a creative writing course, or anything like that — it was “advanced English.” It was supposed to be a formal study of English grammar.

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Not long ago, I recommended a blog called “Friday Traffic Report” as an excellent source of information for writers specifically interested in blogging. I want to call your attention to that site again and to a recent post that is very helpful for bloggers. The post is “Make Money Blogging? Or Make Money Because You Blog?”, and it makes some interesting and important points about blogs and blogging.

Read more on Here’s an excellent discussion about blogging, planning a blog…

I know people who absolutely love to write at a table in a cafe or coffee shop because they get excited and “up” from all the noise and the crush of a crowd. I know others who cannot write unless they are in a quiet room, or even a nearly soundproof office, with absolutely no distractions. Other people enjoy writing in front of a television, or listening to special music. Still others use a “white noise” machine or even just the quiet hum of an air purifier or a fan to soothe their nerves.

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Writers who wish to succeed in today’s economy must be writers who are flexible and willing to try a variety of things to profit from their skills. They must also be writers who are passionate about writing, about their skills, and about a wide variety of interests.

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